Go Silently Into The Woods
by Glow60
Summary: Everyone thinks Tony is dead and he is left behind.
1. Chapter 1

**Go Silently Into Woods**

By Glow60

_First of all, I just want to give you a heads up. **No** major character is going to die in this story even though it appears that way in this first chapter. I will try my best to update weekly._

**Chapter One**

It was just two weeks before Christmas and one of the darkest days in Leroy Jethro Gibbs' life. The senior NCIS agent stood outside on the cabin's front porch and watched as the snow fell softly to the ground. It was so quiet and peaceful. He looked and could tell there was already at least a foot of snow and more was on the way. At this moment, he didn't care how cold it was or how deep the snow was going to get. He just needed to be alone for a few minutes to collect his thoughts. He wished he could get as far away from everyone as possible but he knew it wasn't going to happen. He didn't want anyone to see him break down. He hadn't felt this way since he lost his beloved Shannon and Kelly. Right now, he has just lost the closet person he ever had to as a son. _Tony DiNozzo was dead and he died saving his life…_

Inside the cabin, everyone was in his or her own little world. Ziva stood looking out the cabin window. She didn't know what to do. She had never felt this helpless before. The tears just kept flowing freely. She tried wiping them away but they kept coming back. She was hurting and for once she was not ashamed to show it. She wanted to go and get comforted from Gibbs but he was in his own little world right now and didn't want to share it with anyone. She turned and looked at McGee who was trying to keep himself busy by keeping an eye on the two men who they were assigned to protect. This protection detail cost them dearly. Their fun loving senior field agent and friend gave his life to protect them…

_Three hours ago…_

_The weathermen had been so wrong in their predictions. They said the storm wouldn't hit until the next day. If it had it would have given them plenty of time to get to the safe house. Gibbs, McGee and the two military informants they were assigned to protect were in the first car. Tony and Ziva were following closely behind in the second car. Gibbs and his team were heading toward the safe house in the __Blue Ridge Mountains__ when they got caught in the storm. The falling snow was getting so bad that they couldn't see ten feet in front of them so they had to park the cars on the side of the road and go the rest of the way on foot. The cabin was at least five more miles up the mountain road from where they were. The weather was affecting their cell phones so they could not call for help or let anyone know what has happened. As they headed toward the safe house they were not aware that they were being followed so closely behind. What they didn't know at the time was someone in one at the agency had let it leak out where they were taking the men._

_It was still daylight but they were having a little trouble seeing where they were going. Gibbs ordered everyone to stay close. He didn't want them to get separated. While he took the lead he ordered Tony to take the rear. After an hour of walking the snow let up just a little. They were near a slope and a river. They could hear and see the current in the river was very fast. Suddenly, shots started flying everywhere._

_After the first shot, Tony saw the shooters and he managed to push Gibbs and one of the men to safety but He had taken two bullets before he fell into the icy cold river below. It took McGee and the two other men to stop Gibbs from jumping in and going after him. He kept screaming for them to let him go but they wouldn't._

_Ziva had managed to kill the two bastards who had just shot Tony. She looked over at Gibbs. He was still fighting to get to Tony. She could tell the three men were losing the battle to stop the older ex-marine. She ran over and knelt in front of Gibbs so she could get his attention. She put her gun away and placed both hands on each side of Gibbs face. Tears were flowing freely down her cheeks as she yelled at him, "He's gone Gibbs. Tony is gone. We have to get these two men to safety. Lives depend on it. We have a duty and we will have time to grieve later for him." Gibbs finally stopped fighting. He just stared are her for a few seconds. She could see the hurt in his eyes. She watched as his tried to think things out in his head and then he stood up. He looked one more time at the river. He couldn't see anything of his senior field agent. What was he thinking? There is no way he would have survived the current. He then turned to Ziva, "You are right. We have a job to do. Lets get going. I will take the lead and Ziva you follow up in the rear."_

_Gibbs knew they were near the safe house. He remembered seeing it on the map. He knew it was just a little less than two miles from the river now. He ordered them to follow him. This time Ziva took the back._

_Down by the riverbank…_

_It was dark; the only light was coming from a full moon that peeked in and out of the fast moving clouds. He was barely conscious when he made his way to the edge of the riverbank. He knew he was too hurt and too weak to climb out of the cold water. He just lay there and waited for death to take him. He knew Gibbs and the others would not be coming for him. They had to stay and protect the two military informants. He was barely able to lift his head and look around. He couldn't see anything except trees. His body was shaking real bad. He laughed to himself. He never pictured he would die like this. He had struggled all his life to find a place to call home and he finally did with the people who he worked with. Now here, he was alone again in his last moment of life. It was a few minutes later; he finally shut his eyes and waited for death to take him. He didn't see the dark shadow moving closer…_

_Present Time…_

It didn't take long for the rest of their assailants to find the cabin. A four-wheel drive with chains on the tires pulled up in front of the cabin and the rest of the hired guns vacated it as soon as it stopped and started firing. Gibbs, McGee and Ziva were ready. There was a shootout and it lasted for a few minutes. Every one of their attackers were dead. It turned out they were no match for the professionally trained federal agents who had an agenda and that was to kill all of them. McGee took a bullet in the arm but he was still able to shoot. His adrenaline had kicked in and he wanted to kill every one of the bastards for what happened to Tony.

Gibbs went outside and checked the dead bodies and collected all their weapons since they wouldn't need them anymore. Their guns may come in handy later. He looked up because he felt someone or something watching him. He looked around but didn't see anything. It might be just his imagination. He ordered Ziva, McGee and the two men to get into the SUV. They needed to get as far away from this cabin and as soon as they could. He now knew there had to be a leak and they needed to leave. The snow had slowed down enough for them he hoped to make it back to NCIS safely. The weather was going to get nasty and he wanted to get out of here before it starts back up. He figure once they got on the main roads the roads would not be so bad. Gibbs took one last look around the cabin to make sure they hadn't forgotten anything. He tried not to think about whom they were leaving behind as they passed the river on the way down the mountain road.

Once they were within fifty miles of Washington D.C. Gibbs was able to called to Vance to give him a heads up on what happened and why they headed back. He also warned the director that there was a leak in the agency. He asked Vance to not say anything to Abby or Ducky about DiNozzo because he wanted to tell them himself. When they arrived, Vance assigned another team to take over the protection detail once they arrived. He was going to allow Gibbs and his team some time to grieve. He knew how close they all were.

Gibbs knew it would not take long for the word to spread throughout the building so he needed to talk with Abby and Ducky right away. He called the ME and asked that he and Palmer meet them in Abby's lab he had something important to tell them and he would be there shortly. When Gibbs, Ziva and McGee arrived at the lab the others were waiting. Gibbs could tell they knew something was up the moment they walked into the room.

Abby looked at the three as they walked into the room. She could tell Ziva had been crying. It was then she noticed that one of them was missing and she knew who it was. She started shaking her head and backing away. "No…. No…. don't you tell us…don't you dare tell us. I am not going to listen…NO! NO! Please don't tell me. I can't take it. Please don't…" She tried to cover her ears.

Gibbs walked over. At first she tried to push him away but he would not move. He finally managed to hug her and he then kissed the top on her head. "I am so sorry Abs. I am so sorry…"

As Abby cried into Gibbs' shoulder, he looked over at Ducky. He was not surprise to see a lone tear falling down the Scotsman's cheek. Gibbs knew Tony had always had a special place in Ducky's heart and he knew the older man was going to miss the young Italian just as much as he was. Palmer just stood there is shock. It was Ziva and McGee who walked over to comfort him…


	2. Chapter 2

****_I finished the second chapter and wanted to go ahead and post it. I hope you enjoy._

**Chapter 2**

**_NCIS Headquarters four days later…_**

The snow had finally stopped falling and all of the main roads were now cleared for travel. Late yesterday evening, Director Vance got a call from a Ranger Mark Adams that the road leading to the cabin was now clear enough for them to bring the trucks in. The local LEOs were already there and guarding the crime scene areas to make sure nobody compromised them. Gibbs and his team were packing up the trucks and getting ready to head back to the mountain cabin to retrieve all the bodies.

Ducky and Palmer would be coming along this time. Even though they already knew the cause of death they would still have to do the autopsy on all the bodies at both crime scenes. At first, Ducky was debating on whether to take Mister Palmer with him or not. He knew the younger man had become a very close friend of Anthony's every since Gibbs had gone to Mexico. Jimmy had taken the news of Tony's death almost as hard as Abby. When the ME suggested that he should stay behind, Jimmy Palmer got angry and demanded that he be allowed to go. He wanted to help bring his friend's body home.

Palmer wasn't the only one the ME was worried about. Ducky didn't tell anyone but he was really concerned about if and when they find Anthony's body. It was one autopsy he wasn't looking forward to. He was worried about how Jethro was going to take it if they found out that Anthony had survive both the shooting and fall only to drown in the cold river. It would mean that Jethro might have been able to save him if he had jumped in. He knew his friend would go to his grave blaming himself.

Leon Vance had tried to get Gibbs to let him send a couple of the other teams to retrieve the bodies but his senior agent refused. He and his team wanted to be the ones that brought their missing team member's body home. Gibbs also realize that shooting and sketching of the two crime scenes were going to be a little too much for his team so he decided to take Vance up on his offer of letting Balboa's team come along.

**_Meanwhile somewhere in the __Blue Ridge Mountains__…_**

Not too far from the cabin was a very well hidden cave. Even the folks who lived all their lives in the area were not even aware of its existence. Deep inside that cave lived a man who had been shunned all his life and chose to live the life of a hermit. For the past few days this solitary cave dweller spent most of his time trying to bring the fever down on his very sick and injured cave guest. He had done all he could and now he was just waiting.

Every now and then he would walk to the entrance of the cave and look out. The snow had finally let up. He had not seen it snowing like this for years. He was so glad that he had taken the time to bring in enough wood that would keep them warm for a while. He was not worried about food because he always was able to get it even in storms like this. If needed, there were plenty of cabins, in the area, that were abandoned during winter times. Sometimes the owners would leave canned food and other usable items. He didn't like to steal but he would do it to survive.

He thought back a few days ago, when he was out hunting and it started snowing. He had managed to catch a couple of rabbits and decided it was time he should head back to his cave. It had taken him longer then he planned. It also had gotten a dark before he knew it. Now it was snowing and he almost lost his bearings. He finally got a break when the snow had stopped briefly and the moon was going in and out of the fast moving clouds. He now was able to see where he was going. He knew his cave was not too far away.

He followed the riverbank for about two miles. It was then; he thought he heard something moving in the water. He stopped and looked toward where he heard the noise. The light from the moon was bright enough for him to make out a shape of something now half lying on the riverbank. It looks like it could be a man. At first sight, he thought the man was dead but then he heard a low laugh. He must have imagined it. He moved a little closer and it was then he saw the man trying to raise his head. If the injured man was going to continue to survive, he would need to get him to a warmer place and out of these cold wet clothes. He sized up the man. He knew he was strong enough to carry him back to his cave.

It took him almost an hour to get the unconscious man to his underground shelter. He was not worried about hiding his tracks because he knew it wouldn't be much longer before it started snowing again. He knew the winter storm would cover any evidence that he and the unconscious man were ever there.

It was pretty dark inside the cave and it was a good thing he knew his way around without needing any light. He gently placed the wounded man on the ground near to where he knew the campfire would be. He went over and found the lantern and lit it. He got his bedding and dragged it closer to where the man was lying. It didn't take him long to get the fire going.

He began removing all of the injured man's wet clothes. While removing the clothes he found a gun and some bullets. He put them aside and would deal with them later. When he was finished with undressing the unconscious man he laid him on his bedding. He moved the lantern over so he could get a better look at the man's body. He could see two gunshot wounds one in the side and the other in the right shoulder. They were through and through so he wouldn't need to worry about having to take the bullets out. The cold body temperature had caused the bleeding to slow down but he knew once the body started to warm up the bleeding would probably start back up. He could tell the man also had a broken leg and there were numerous bruises all over his body. He guessed it was from hitting against the rocks while he was in the river. Lastly there was a nasty gash on the man's forehead. He was so glad his granny had taught him how to use wild herbs and roots for healing. It was that knowledge that had saved his life many times over the past years. He ripped one of his shirts into strips. He used the strips to cover the wounds just incase they started to bleed. He then covered the injured man up with his blankets. Before he went outside he changed into some dry clothes.

He already knew were to get the wild herbs and roots even if they were buried under a foot of snow. As he was gathering what he needed he could hear what sounded like a lot of gunfire but it was a few miles up the river near an unoccupied cabin. He decided to go and check it out and see what was happening. He hoped it wasn't the revenuers because he did not like or trust them. By the time he got there the shooting had stopped. He saw a gray haired man walking around the bodies that were lying in the snow. He watched as the man examined each body and took the weapons from them. The man stopped what he was doing and looked up in his direction as if he senses him being there. He moved back a little because he didn't want to be seen. He needed to get out of there before he was spotted. He wanted to make sure they didn't follow him so he took the route by the river.

When he finished gathering what he needed he headed back to the cave. About an hour later, he had some wild herbs and roots boiling in a pot to make the potion to help start the healing process. Once the potion was ready, he took it and placed it on the injured man's wound and he then used the strips of cloth to keep the potion in place. He also set the leg and braced it with wood. When he was finished he covered the unconscious man again with the blankets. He threw some more wood into the fire. He needed to keep the injured man as warm as possible. He also placed the man's wet clothes near the fire so they would dry. It had been a long time since he was around another person. Now, all he could do was wait and think…

**_Forty-five years ago…_**

_He thought back when he was only five years old. He never knew who his father was. His own mother decided to leave one day and left him with her parents. He heard her tell her parents that she didn't want anything to do with that little freak and they could have him. A little later he found out that she took off for greener pastures and he never heard from her again._

_His grandparents lived way out in the sticks and they didn't believe in the schools so most of the time he would hide when they had company. By the time he was twelve he was already six and a half feet tall. The people who knew about him thought he was just some big dumb freak of nature and treated him that way. Nobody except for his grandparents took the time to get to know him. His grandpa taught him how to hunt and live in the woods. His granny taught him about all the healing wild herbs and roots. They also taught him to fear any revenuers. _

_When he was just fifteen years old both of his grandparents died in a cabin fire. They were very old and it was hard for them to get around. When the cabin caught fire it went up quick and trapped his grandparents. At the time, he was in the barn milking the cow when he heard them screaming for help. By the time he got there most of the cabin was in flames and he couldn't hear them anymore. He tried to get inside but it was just too hot. Most of his face upper chest and hands were burned. It was a neighbor who spotted the smoke and came running. He had to drag him away to save his life. While he was in the hospital he overheard the sheriff talking to the doctors about him going to institution because no foster home would take him. He didn't want to do it so as soon as he could he took off. He headed back to the mountain he knew and loved._

**_Present time…_**

It was around noon when he heard coughing coming from his cave guest. He went over to one of the pots and poured some of the warm broth into the cup. He moved over to the wounded man and helped the injured man to lift his head up a little so he could take a few sip. Once he got some of the broth in him the coughing stopped. The fever ridding man just looked up at him. He didn't say or do anything but just stare. After a while the man closed his eyes and he went back to sleep.

**_Back at __Blue Ridge Mountains__ cabin where the shootout took place…_**

Gibbs stood watching as Ducky and Palmer loaded the last two bodies in one of the NCIS trucks. A few minutes later, Gibbs got a call from Balboa and he said they had just finished with the crime scene and were just waiting for Ducky to pick up the last two bodies. Gibbs walked over and relays the message to the ME. Ducky and Palmer got into one of the truck and headed out to the second crime scene.

The senior NCIS agent looked up at the sky. The weathermen were predicting another snowfall in about three to four days. This one was supposed to bring a lot more snow than the last one. Right now the sun was out and it was melting some of the snow. Gibbs thought to himself that the river would be a little more swollen and will make it harder to find the body. They were on limited time as is and they needed to retrieve Tony's body before the second storm hits. He promised himself that he would not go home without him and he hoped he could keep that promise. He was just now waiting for the snowmobiles to be delivered.

Gibbs walked over to Ziva and McGee. They were just about finishing up sketching and shooting the crime scene. All three looked up when they heard a pickup truck pulling into the driveway. A ranger got out of the passenger's side of the truck and slammed the door. He walked over to agents and introduced himself. They could tell he was not in a good mood. "My name is Mark Adams. I am the head forest ranger in these parts. I was told, and by the way not asked, to bring these snowmobiles to this location. I am supposed to take an Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs into the woods to search for a dead body that was carried down the River. Do anyone of you federal agents happen to know how big that river is and that another snow will be here in a few days?"

At any other time, Gibbs would have grinned a little at the questions but right now he was not in the mood, "Forest Ranger Mark Adams, I am Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs. I hope I do not take too much of your valuable time. The body we will be retrieving belongs to NCIS Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo who gave his life to save others including myself. He was also a very good and personal friend of mine. I made a promise to myself that I find his body and bring him home and I intend to keep that promise whether you help me or not. Do I make myself clear?"

"Look Agent Gibbs, I am sorry for what happened to your agent and I am also sorry for what I said earlier. I had no right to say it. Right now, I am just really very tired. I have been on duty for the last seventy-two hours with only getting a few hours of sleep when I can. My people and I have been going around and checking on the folks who live in these parts to make sure they are okay after the storm. We still have a few more old folks who live way back in the woods where there are no roads. We are using the snowmobiles to go and check on them but since we only have a couple more places to check, I guess we can spare at least these two to retrieve your friend's body."

"Look Ranger Adams, I understand but I need to find my agent's body. I refused to leave anyone of my team behind."

Adams smiled, "You were a marine weren't you? Semper Fi."

This time Gibbs did smile a just little. "Give me a few minutes I need to talk with my team and get my backpack."

Gibbs walked over to McGee and Ziva. He wanted them to take care of a few things while he was gone and also to keep an eye on Abby for him. He was really worried about her. She was really taking Tony's death hard. He also told them to keep trying to get a hold of Tony's father. Senior was out of the country right now and nobody knew where he was and he was also not answering his phone. Once he was finished with them, he headed over to the NCIS truck and pulled out his backpack. He then joined the ranger and finished helping him to get the snowmobiles off the truck. Once they had the snowmobiles unloaded, the driver of the pickup truck headed back to the rangers station.

They were going to be gone for a few days so the snowmobile that the ranger will be driving had a sled attached to it with supplies they may need. The sled will also be used to bring the body back if they were successful….


	3. Chapter 3

_First, I want to thank everyone for your kind reviews. I really appreciate you taking the time to do them._

_Secondly, I got Chapter 3 done earlier then I thought so I decided to go ahead an post instead of next week._

_This is for the reviews I could not reply back to_

_One of them wanted to know what a revenuer is - Revenuers are government agents who work for the __Internal Revenue Service but in __my story the man who rescues Tony thinks anyone who works for the government is a revenuer and it doesn't matter which agency because to him they are all the same. He was taught to not trust them by his elderly grandparents who passed away many years ago._

_Someone else wanted to know when the story would be finished. I really can't answer that because this story is a work in progress. It will mainly depend on what I can come up with._

**Chapter 3**

_**Along the riverbank …**_

They were traveling slowly along the riverbank that was sparsely populated with trees. Ranger Mark Adams had stopped his snowmobile when he spotted something shiny near the riverbank. He yelled over to the federal agent. Gibbs stopped and got off his vehicle and walked over to where the ranger was. He looked down and saw Tony's badge shimmering in the water. He reached for it and pulled it out. For a few seconds, it brought back memories of the day he handed it to Tony. He still could see the smile on the young man's face. He remembered that night Abby, Ducky and he took the young Italian out to celebrate. Both Tony and Abby got so drunk that Gibbs decided to take them to his house to sleep it off. He managed to get Abby into the spare room before she passed out. He wasn't so lucky with Tony. The younger man had already made up his mind to lie down on the living room floor. Gibbs tried but couldn't get him to stand up so he could help him to the couch. Gibbs got a blanket and pillow and then decided to let him just sleep it off on the floor. He laughed when he remembered the next day, both Tony and Abby had the worst hangovers and they were not any fun to be around with at the time. It was a good thing that it was a Saturday.

"You know Gibbs we may never find your agent's body. This river can hide many secrets. Right now the current could have taken the body many miles from here. It could also have been dragged under and is stuck between some rock or something. Even if we brought in the dogs they still might not be able to pick up the scent because of the fast moving current. Hell even an animal might have gotten a hold of his body if it washed on to the bank. There maybe nothing left for us to find."

Gibbs was really getting annoyed. He was tired of being reminded by the park ranger that they may never find Tony's body. He was getting ready to tell the man off when he felt they were being watched. He looked around but could not see anyone or anything. It must be his mind playing tricks on him. He knew he was tired and had not been getting much sleep since Tony's death. For the rest of the day they continued to search the river but they found nothing. They would camp out that night and continue their search in the morning. Two days later, they had to turn around and head back. The storm was coming in fast and they needed to leave before they got trapped in the storm. Gibbs never felt so defeated because now he was going to have to go back and tell his team and Abby that he failed…

_**Back in the cave…**_

The fever had finally broken. He watched as the sick and injured man looked around the cave and then finally focused on him. At first he could see fear in his eyes and then they seem to relax a little. The large man decided to move a little closer to the injured man but he was careful not to frighten him.

Tony DiNozzo finally spoke, "Who…who are you? How...did I…get here?"

The man just shook his head and pointed to his mouth that he couldn't speak.

Tony thought about it for a few seconds and said. "How are we sup..supposed to communicate? Can…can you write?"

He again shook his head no. He had never gone to school when he was a child. His grandparents always believed that he didn't need it. They could teach him everything he needed to know about the woods and they believe that was all he needed to know. His grandparents believe schooling was just a big waste of time for folks who lived out in the woods.

"Do you…you now how to sign?" Tony went to sign but he was just too tired and weak. His shoulder hurt too much for him to do it anyway. So, he gave up trying for now.

The man just stood there. He didn't understand what the injured man was trying to tell him.

"Okay, first of all…all let me introduce myself…" He stopped and began to rub his head. It was hurting like hell and he was having trouble concentrating. "I…I think…my name is…Tony. I…I… sorry…give me a minute."

After a few minutes of quiet Tony finally looked at him and smiled, "I can't keep calling you hey you. I need to give you…you a na…name. Let me…me see." Tony thought about it for a few seconds. "How about I call you…Harry? You look like a Harry to me." In Tony's mind he was thinking of the movie and TV show _Harry and The Henderson._

The hermit smiled. He liked the name even though it wasn't really his own. It had been years since someone called him by name. He almost forgot what it was. Right now, there was no way he could tell this man what his name was. He figures Harry would do for now.

"Okay, Harry it is..." Tony smiled. He was starting to get really tired and having a lot of trouble keeping his eyes open. "I…think…I am going to…to…go…slee…" Within seconds he was out like a light.

Harry decided while his guest was asleep he would go do a little hunting and get some fresh meat. He knew his newfound friend was going to need it to help build up his strength. He also knew another storm was on its way in a few days. The signs were there.

Harry was about two hundred feet from the river when he heard the snowmobiles coming his way. He moved and hid behind some rocks. He had seen vehicles like this before. He always kept his distance from them because he didn't want anyone to know he was there. It was easy for him to do because he always could hear them before he saw them.

He watched, as the two men seemed to be looking for something along the riverbanks. He could tell one of them was a revenuer he had seen many times before. He also recognized the older grayed hair man. He was the one who killed all those men back at that cabin. He turned and looked back toward the cave when he realizes that they must be looking for. He was worried they were going to find his friend Tony and kill him. He must protect him. He continued to watch to see what they are going to do next. A few minutes later, the revenuer yelled to the gray hair man that he found something. The gray haired man walked over and picked up something. He watched as the man stopped doing what he was doing and looked around. He watched them until they had left the area. When he decided it was safe to leave he headed back to the cave. He was worried the gray haired man was going to be trouble…

_**Late December - Back in Washington…**_

It was just three days before Christmas when he had to deliver the bad news to his team. He could see the disappointment in their eyes. He felt like he had failed them and especially Tony. He wanted closure just as much as they did but it looked like it wasn't going to happen.

The only good news he heard was Ziva had finally made contact with Senior. It turns out Tony's old man had gotten remarried again to a very wealthy woman. The newlyweds were on a world-wind honeymoon and Senior had his cellphone turned off. When the older DiNozzo finally turned it back on he saw that he had quite a few urgent calls from McGee and Ziva to call them back as soon as he could. He was wondering why they would be calling him instead of Junior. He knew it had to be bad news. He decided to call Ziva. When he got a hold of her she told him what had happen to his son. For a while he was quiet and then Ziva could hear him crying. A few seconds later, a woman came on the phone and introduced herself as Senior's new wife. She demands to know what Ziva had said to make her husband cry. Ziva explained to her what had happened. The woman thanked her and told her they would be on the next plane to Washington DC.

Senior and his new wife arrived two days before Christmas. They would be staying at the Adams House for a day and then leave to spend Christmas with his wife's family on an island in Maine. Gibbs agreed to meet them for lunch. Senior wanted to know what happened. Gibbs told him the whole story. He also mentioned that they might never be able to recover the body. Between them they made arrangements to hold a memorial service in honor of Tony. The service would be held the second Friday after Christmas in Washington DC. Senior and his wife would be returning for the service.

_**Mid January in Washington…**_

On the day of the memorial service, police and federal agents from all over the country came to pay their respects. Gibbs smiled he knew Tony would have been so proud. When the priest was finished with the service he ask if anyone would like to come up and talk a little about Tony.

Director Leon Vance stood up first and made his way to the podium. He looked around the room full of law enforcers. He made eye contact with Senior and then rested his eyes on Gibbs for a second before turned back to the rest of the crowd of mourners, "My name is Leon Vance. For those who do not know me I am the director of NCIS. I am here today to honor Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo. He was a man who gave his life to save others. When I first met Agent DiNozzo I wondered why on earth my senior agent would have someone like him on his team. Agent DiNozzo was loud, obnoxious and very immature. He never seemed to take anything too serious. As time passed we did butt heads on several occasions but I did grow to respect him once I saw him in action. He really knew what he was doing and he was good at it. He was one of the finest and bravest men I have ever met and it is why I recommended him for Presidential Medal of Freedom." Vance looked around one more time and then left the stage as everyone stood up and applauded. He walked over and handed Tony's metal to his father. Senior thanked the Director.

Senior was the next one to speak. He looked around the room. Tears were flowing down his face as he tried to gain his composure, "I loved my son…with all my heart but I was never the world's best dad. When his mother…passed away I really hate…hated to be around my own child. He reminded me so much of his dear mother. Every time I saw those big green eyes it broke my heart. So, I decided to avoid him as much as possible. As long as I stayed away and kept my mind on work it didn't hurt so much. For most of his young life I hate to admit Junior was either with his nannies or in boarding school. I was hoping my son would follow in my footsteps but after college Junior decided to go into law enforcement. I never really told him how proud I was of him for the career choice he made. I…I only wish I took the time to let him know. I once had someone tell me that I didn't get a chance to know my son as a child but I should take the time to get to know him as an adult." Senior looked over at Gibbs, "I am so glad I took your advice and was able to spend some time with him and get to know him. Thank you Agent Gibbs for those precious moments I had with him." Senior walked back and sat down next to his wife and the audience applauded.

McGee, Ziva, Abby, Ducky, Palmer, his frat brothers and cops he had worked with took their turns. Some had stories about DiNozzo that made everyone laugh and others had stories of how special he was to them. When they were all finished it was then Gibbs took the podium.

Gibbs looked around the room and smiled. "Tony would have loved this. He always liked to be the center of attention." That got a lot of laughs out of everyone. "I just wish he were here to see it. There is not much I can say that hasn't already been said. I knew the moment I met him he was good. He always had some of the strangest methods to figuring out thing in his head but he was really good at it. There were many times I wondered why I even hired him but a little while later he would always show me why. I am going to miss him. He was the closest thing I had to a son." Gibbs looked around one more time and then left the church as he heard the applause.

He now had an agenda. So far, they had no luck in finding out who had leaked the information about their protection detail that cost Tony his life. He made up his mind that he was going to find out who the bastard was and make him or her pay for what they did. They were not going to get away with it…


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

_**Washington D.C…**_

It was early on Sunday morning when Gibbs walked into NCIS. The office area was almost deserted except for Balboa's team who was on call this weekend. Gibbs' nodded to the agents as he walked past them and headed toward the bullpen. This coming Monday, McGee will officially be taking over as Gibb's senior field agent and be moving his things to Tony's desk. Vance had started looking into possible candidates to fill McGee's old position. Right now, Gibbs needed to start cleaning out Tony's desk. He knew he should have done it a long time ago but he couldn't bring himself to do it until after the memorial service. He didn't want anyone to be around him as he placed Tony's things into a cardboard box. It was going to be hard on him and he didn't need an audience watching him.

As Gibbs was going through Tony's desk, he found the Mighty Mouse stapler, the letter opener and the American Pie coffee mug. It brought back so many memories of the time when everyone thought Tony had been blown up in his Mustang. He remembered his team including Abby, Ducky and Palmer all taken something from Tony's desk to remember their friend. Gibbs decided at that moment he would give each one of them the thing they had taken from that last time. He knew Tony would want them to have it.

Gibbs smiled when his eyes made contact with the little American flag that sat so proudly on top of Tony's desk. Gibbs remembered the day he had given the flag to Tony. It was the 4th of July. NCIS and the FBI were playing a baseball game against each other for charity. That day, Tony had gotten the most homeruns to help win the game. Gibbs laughed because it really pissed off Fornell big time when his team lost and Fornell lost a hundred dollar bet to him. After the game, Tony had complained that since he had made most of the homeruns he should get at least one day off or something. To shut him up Gibbs gave him the little American flag that was sticking in the middle of a cake Kate had made to celebrate the holiday. Tony had everyone laughing when he stood up he accepted it like he had just won the Oscars. When that Monday came Gibbs saw the little flag sitting proudly in the cup on top of Tony's desk. Gibbs picked up the little flag and placed it in his coat pocket.

He found his medals in the bottom drawer. He took the locked box and placed it inside the cardboard box without even opening it. Gibbs took all the items he was going to give to the others and carry them over to his desk placed them inside his lower desk drawer. He would pass each one of them out in private to their new owners. He then took the cardboard box out to his truck. He went back inside the building to do some work.

The rest of the day he spent trying to catch up on some of his paperwork and also going back over some of the files they had on that fateful protection assignment that cost his senior agent his life. He had already been over them several times with his team but they couldn't find anything. Everyone they had interviewed and talked with was in the clear. He looked at the list of names again. He knew he was missing something but what?

_**Inside the cave…**_

It was almost two weeks ago, when Tony finally started feeling well enough to sit up and move around a little. He was still having trouble with his memory. He sometimes would see images of people and things he knew he should know but couldn't remember. Sometimes he would remember but within minutes forget them.

He was getting bored so he decided he was going to teach his mute friend all about American Sign Language and how to use it. Tony couldn't remember how he knew it but he did. _(What Tony couldn't remember happened years ago when he had discovered that Gibbs and Abby knew sign language. They used to sign around him when they didn't want him to know what they were talking about. They really only did that to annoy him and it worked. Tony decided to take some classes. One day he had surprised both of them when he answered them back in sign. Gibbs and Abby both laughed and congratulated him for taking the time to learn. Gibbs told him it might come in handy one day.)_

One thing Tony learned about his cave friend was how smart the man really was. It didn't take Harry long to learn to sign once he understood what the smaller man was trying to teach him. The first time Tony attempted to show him it was a totally complete failure. The giant just stood there and looked at him funny. He was trying to understand why his new friend kept moving his hand and arms around. The problem at the time was Harry's knowledge of the English language was limited because of his lack of education and also the lack of not hearing it for such a long time. It took several attempts before he realized that the hand and arm movements meant something. Within hours Tony and Harry were communicating with each other. Harry would walk around the cave room and point to things. Tony would show him what sign to use. Harry would repeat it exactly like he was shown. Harry smiled because for the first time in his life he was able to hold a conversation with another human. He was never even able to do that even with his grandparents and it felt so good.

_**Present time…**_

It was cold and windy outside. The ground was covered with a thin layer of snow. Harry spent each day going out gathering what wood he could find and searching for food. He somehow managed to catch enough game and fish to feed them both. Every time Harry went outside he would keep an eye out for the gray haired man. He still wasn't sure if it was the last he would see him.

Harry didn't mind having an extra mouth to feed; it was so nice to have the company. He found his cave guest fun to be with. There was not a day that went by that the smaller man did not make him smile about one thing or another. He never knew someone could talk so much. His friend constantly talked about something called movies, actors and actresses. He really didn't know what they were but his friend seemed happy talking about them. So, he really didn't mind it.

As the day passed, Tony started to get well enough to move around on his own. The shotgun wounds to the side and shoulder had healed nicely thanks to Harry's potion. Tony's broken leg was still giving him a lot of pain. It was going to take a while longer for it to completely heal. Tony had Harry to get him some long pieces of wood. He wanted to make himself a pair of crutches so he could get around the cave.

One thing that concerned the big guy was that his friend still had some very bad headaches. Sometimes they were so bad that Tony would stay in bed most of the day. His memory wasn't getting any better. Every now and then, Harry would come back from hunting and he would find Tony disoriented and talking to himself. He could see the fear in the smaller man's eyes when he first walks into the cave. When this happened the big man would just keep his distance until Tony recognized him. Sometimes he would come back and find Tony looking for somebody called Gibbs because he needed to tell him something. One time he found Tony outside the cave looking for Abby's lab. This really scared him because he was now worried Tony could wonder off and get lost or hurt. He decided to not be gone so long and stay a little closer to the cave from now on.

_**Back in Washington D.C…**_

Monday morning both McGee and Ziva were talking as they stepped out of the elevator and walked into the bullpen together. They went quiet when they saw Tony's desk was now cleared off. It was something they knew was going to happen because McGee was supposed to be moving his stuff to Tony's desk today. At that very moment it hit Ziva hard and she had to excuse herself as she headed toward the ladies restroom. She had tried to prepare herself for this moment but it didn't work. Seeing Tony's desk empty like that made her finally realized that she will never see her friend again.

McGee just stood there and stared. He didn't notice the ME walking up behind him.

"Are you going to be okay, Timothy?"

The younger man took a few seconds before he answered, "You know Ducky? There is not a day that goes by I don't think about him. I really miss him. I would give anything to have him back."

"I know. So would we all."

McGee turned to the older man. "Ducky, I am not sure I can sit at his desk and I am also not sure if I want anyone else to sit there."

"Timothy… maybe this will help you just a little? Our dear Anthony would have wanted you to do it. It is what he helped train you to do. All you need to do now is make him proud."

McGee smiled at the older man, "Thanks, it does help some. Maybe you should go talk with Ziva? She is taking it pretty hard."

Ducky looked toward the ladies restroom. He smiled when he saw Abby walking toward it. "No, I don't think I need to. I think she is going to be in good hands."

About an hour later, Gibbs came walking down the stairs. He had been in the director's office going over some of the new candidates for McGee's position. So far, he hadn't seen anyone who he thought would fit well with his team. While he was in Vance's office Gibbs let the director know that he would like to go back over the files on who leak the information about safe house. Vance gave him two weeks. He told Gibbs that if he didn't find anything by then he was to give it up. Vance didn't want to waste anymore time and resources on it.

Once the senior agent returned to his desk, he ordered McGee and Ziva to pull up all the information on the two military informants and everyone who knew about the safe house. Someone had to have leaked that information and he wanted to know who it was. There was no way those hired guns could have known where they would be without someone telling them. He told his team he was not going to rest until they gave him a name. He also told them they had two weeks to do it.

It took Gibbs and his team almost the full two weeks but they finally made an arrest. The person they believe responsible for DiNozzo's death was a businessman by the name of Sam Smith. Smith owned a company that had been selling electronic parts to the Navy and overcharging them for years. He had made millions off on it. He was able to get away with it because he had a close friend who was a congressman. The two military informants were actually military auditors who were checking the records of several companies that sold their products to the Navy. The auditors came across some discrepancies that had been didn't make sense. They also found these same discrepancies in several other companies they were auditing. When they dug into it further they made the connection with the congressman. It appears this very same congressman had been under investigation after several companies had filed complaints against him. The auditors were going to be testifying before a congressional hearing. They had feared for their life after a couple of threatening phone calls. NCIS was then assigned to protect them.

Once Smith found out that the auditors would be testifying at the hearing he panic and decided he needed to get rid of them. Smith found out that NCIS was going to be protecting them. He had an employee by the name of Mike Ricketts who was the cousin to SecNav Jarvis' assistant. Ricketts agreed to get him the information for a price. Ricketts then went to visit his cousin. While there, the assistant had stepped out of the office to talk with Jarvis for a few minutes. While she was gone her cousin looked through her desk and found what he needed. He gave the information he found to Sam Smith and Smith then hired the gunmen.

It was McGee and Ziva who finally made the connection when they went to interview Jarvis' assistant. While they were talking with the assistant, they noticed she had a sign in log and they asked her if they could see it. They got copies of the pages around the time NCIS got the protection assignment. They did a background checks on everyone who visited her during that time. With the help of Abby, they finally figured it out. Her cousin had visited her around the time same NCIS was assigned to protect the two informants. While doing the background check on Mike Ricketts, they found out he worked for one of the companies that had been audited.

Gibbs ordered his team to bring Mike Ricketts in for questioning. As soon as the director heard they had a suspect, he told Gibbs that he didn't want his senior agent to interrogate the man because he was too close to the case. He was afraid Gibbs was going to do something stupid and get himself along with NCIS in some serious trouble. Gibbs argued with him at first but Vance would not relent. Vance really couldn't blame him because he knew how close Gibbs was with his team. Vance decided that he was going to do the interrogation and Gibbs could watch. Several hours, Ricketts finally broke down and confessed that he was the one who gave the information for Sam Smith. Shortly after that Smith was arrested…

_**In the Blue Ridge Mountains…**_

The first two weeks of February turned out to be quite warm. The weathermen were predicting an early spring. The snow was just about gone. The buds were starting to show on the trees. Only a couple of the higher mountain peaks had snow on them. Gibbs had already made arrangements with Vance to take some time off as soon as the weather got warmer. Now that the snow was just about gone he planned to go back to the mountains and see if he could find any traces of what had became of Tony's body. His marine training was going to come in handy. During his time in the service he was considered to be one of the best trackers the Marine Corps ever had.

The senior agent was working in his basement when he heard someone walk into his house. From the sound of the footsteps he could tell it was Abby. He looked up as the Goth walked down the steps.

"Hi Gibbs."

Just from her expression he could tell she had something on her mind. "Hi Abs, what can I do for you?"

She walked over and touched the piece of wood he was working on. She felt it smoothness. "Gibbs… I know you are going to think I am crazy but lately I…I have been having a lot of these dreams that Tony is still alive."

"Abs…"

"No Gibbs…please listen to me before you say…say anything. I have been having these dreams for the last couple of weeks. I didn't say anything because at first, I thought it was just wishful thinking on my part. I now believe Tony is trying to reach out and tell me he is alive."

"Abby there is no way he could possibly have survived out there on his own all this time. It's been over two months. He can't be alive. He was shot and fell into a cold fast moving river."

"Gibbs, please listen to me. In my dreams Tony is in this…this dark room. I'm not sure what kind of room it is but it is really…really dark. He is confused and in a lot of pain. There is some…someone with him but I can't make out who is watching over him. Gibbs…what if someone did find him? What…what if this person has been taking care of our Tony all this time?"

"Abs…Abby listen to me. If Tony was alive, why didn't they just take him to the hospital? Why didn't someone come forward and let us know he was alive?" At that moment Gibbs really didn't want to believe Abby could be right because that would mean he had left Tony behind. Marines and even ex marines don't leave their people behind but his gut was telling him something different.

Abby had tears in her eyes, "I…I don't know why but I do know some of my…my dreams have come true in the past. You remember when K…Kate died? Back then; I had this dream that Tony had blood on his face. I told Kate about it. She laughed and told me it was my bête noire. Later I found out the blood I dreamed about on Tony's face belonged to Kate. Gibbs, please believe me." The Goth put her head on his shoulder and whispered. "We need to find him and help him to come home."

_**One week later in the Blue Ridge Mountains…**_

The weathermen were predicting unseasonably warm weather for the next week or so. The Farmer's Almanac was predicting a very early spring. Gibbs had left his truck parked at the ranger station for safekeeping. Mark Adams gave him a ride to where DiNozzo had falled into the river. It was going to be his starting point of his trek. The ranger tried his best to talk him out of it but Gibbs wasn't going to listen. The ex marine was on a mission to bring his friend home not matter if he was alive or dead.

Before Adams drove off he went over a map of the area with Gibbs. Adams marked x's where all the cabins were located. He circled the x's if people were living in them right now. He also warned the federal agent about the bears in the area. There have been a few spotted recently. Adams then marked the area the bears were spotted. Gibbs was taking a rifle with him but it was only for protection. When the ranger was finished he shook Gibbs hand and wished him luck. Gibbs watched as the ranger drove off.

The ex marine picked up his backpack and rifle. He started walking toward the slope Tony had fallen down. The river was at least a couple of feet higher then it was in December. If Tony's body never came to shore there was no way he was going to find a trace of him in the water. He plans to follow the river downstream as far as he could go and then return on the opposite side. This way he could cover both sides of the river. He had only a couple of weeks to accomplish this. He took one last look and started heading down the slope.

_**In the cave…**_

Tony was not having a good day. His head had been hurting him for the last few hours. He sat up and looked around the cave. He was alone. Harry must have gone hunting or something. Tony was thirsty so he stood up. For a few seconds he was dizzy but the dizziness went away. He limped over to the bucket and got himself a cup of water. When he was finished he headed back to the bed and laid back down hoping his head would stop hurting so much.

_**In the woods…**_

While Harry was fishing, he had managed to catch four good size trout. He smiled to himself; tonight they were going to eat well. As he started to head back toward the cave he spotted movement out of the corner of his eye. He immediately hid behind some large rocks and looked. It was the gray haired man again. He seemed to be searching the riverbank for something. Harry watched him for a while. Eventually the man moved out of Harry's sight. Harry was not a bad person. He didn't believe in killing unless absolutely necessary. He had made up his mind; if the gray haired man came back here to kill Tony then Harry was going to do whatever it takes to protect him. He still had Tony's gun and bullets. He had hidden them in the cave. If the man comes anywhere near cave he was not afraid to use the gun…


	5. Chapter 5

_I just got Chapter 5 done and wanted to go ahead and post it. There maybe one more chapter after this. I just haven't decided yet. A lot will depend on how Chapter 6 turns out. I hope you enjoy. Thanks again for all your reviews. You don't know hope much I appreciate them._

_Please note: anything italic will be Harry signing._

**Chapter 5**

_**Back at the cave…**_

By the time Harry returned to the cave he found Tony still sleeping. He decided to let him sleep for a little while longer. He lit one of the lanterns and went into another chamber of the cave. It was much smaller than the one they were living in. He used this room mainly for storing wood for the cold winter months. It was also the room where he had hid Tony's gun and bullets. He walked over to the weapon and picked it up. He looked at it and placed it in his coat pocket. He was going to do whatever it takes to protect his vulnerable friend. He knew Tony was not in any condition to protect him self if he had to.

Harry decided to not wake up Tony until dinner was almost ready. When it was time, he touched the sleeping man on the shoulder. Tony opened his eyes and for a moment he was confused. He couldn't remember where he was.

Harry signed, _"Did you have another bad headache?"_

It took Tony only a second to recognize who the big man was, "Har…Harry?"

"_Yes... Would you like some of my tea? Sometimes it helps with your headaches."_

Tony just nodded and closed his eyes.

It didn't take long for Harry to make the tea. With a cup of herbal tea in his hand he walked over and sat down next to the other man. He helped him to sit up. He handed him the tea. Tony's hands were shaking badly as he sipped the tea. Harry watched as the smaller man struggled to drink it. He was not going to help him unless he asked. He knew Tony was a proud man who wanted to do things on his own.

It took a few minutes before Tony finally came around. Once he seemed to be feeling better, Harry helped him to stand up. Tony limped over to where the campfire and food was. They both sat down to eat. Tony ate just a little because he was afraid he was going to loose it if he ate anymore.

"_How is your headache?"_

Tony smiled and said, "It's a lot better thanks to your tea." He looked at the cooked fish; "I wish I could have gone fishing with you today. It looks like the fish were biting. Maybe I can go with you tomorrow?"

"_Better for you to stay here in the cave for now. I saw some bear's tracks this morning. I don't want you to become food while you are trying to catch it."_ Harry smiled as he tried to make a joke. He didn't want him to know there was someone out there looking for him.

Tony smiled it wasn't often his friend tried to make jokes. When he did he could see the smile behind those big dark eyes.

"Afraid maybe I might outrun you even with my limp and the bear gets you first?" Tony asked laughing.

That really got Harry laughing even more. When he finally got control over himself he signed, _"No…afraid the bear will be angry because you left a bad taste in his mouth and comes after me because I am your friend."_

_**At the riverbank…**_

Gibbs had managed to cover over twenty miles of the riverbank before it started getting dark. He would have gone further but the searching had slowed him down. So he decided to call it a day. He built a campfire to make him some coffee and to keep the animals away. It had been a long time since he slept under the stars. He would have enjoyed it if it weren't for the reason he was here.

As he sat there drinking his coffee and eating some cheese and crackers, he thought back at one point today. He had that strange feeling that he was being watched. He had had that same feeling every time he was in these woods. Every time he looked around he couldn't see anything. He wondered if his mind was just playing some tricks on him. Something in his gut was telling him he should go back and check it out but he didn't really have the time. He needed to continue his search.

When he was finished drinking and eating he rolled out his sleeping bag and got into it. He could tell it was going to get a little chilly tonight. He wasn't too thrilled about getting up in the morning because of it…

_**Early the next morning inside the cave…**_

It was just a little after sunrise and Tony was still sleeping. He usually didn't wake up until later in the morning. Harry had decided to go back to the river and see if he saw any signs of the gray haired man. He was going to take the gun with him just incase. He followed the river downstream for a few miles but he did not see anything except for some footprints. They showed that the gray haired man was heading downstream. He decided it was safe to turn around and see about catching something for Tony and him to eat.

Meanwhile back at the cave Tony woke up. He looked around and didn't see anybody. His head was hurting just a little but nowhere as bad as yesterday. He got up and needed to go to the bathroom. It was cold. He spotted a heavy jacket and put it on. He then went outside to relieve himself. When he was finished he looked around. He was confused he wondered how he got into the woods. The last thing he remembered was being in the bullpen with Ziva and McGee going over a case. He knew Gibbs was going to get really pissed with him for getting himself lost. He could just see Ziva and McGee laughing at him. He took one more look around before he headed toward a group of trees. He was hoping that he was going in the right direction.

_**Near the riverbank…**_

After Gibbs was finished with his coffee and a candy bar, he put the campfire out. Something in his gut was telling him he needed to head back up the river. He had a very strong feeling in his gut that something was very wrong. This time he decided to go with his gut because most of the time it was right.

_**Back at the cave…**_

Harry fished for a while but was not having any luck. He knew he had been gone too long and decided to head back to the cave. He would come back later and fish once he checked on Tony. When he got there he was stunned to see Tony was gone. He looked around but didn't see any tracks. He decided to head toward the cabin. Maybe he went that way but Harry was so wrong.

Tony was heading in the direction that was going to take him further away from both the cabin and river. He also didn't realize he was heading deeper into the forest. It was going to take him into an area where some hikers had reported seeing a mother black bear and her cub. Two weeks ago the rangers had put a warning out for hikers to stay away from the area because it was too dangerous.

Tony had walked for a couple of hours. His head was hurting. He decided to sit down by a tree and rest for a few minutes. As he rested there he closed his eyes and fell asleep. When he finally woke up his head didn't hurt anymore. He looked around and remembers he was lost. He decided to stay where he was because it was starting to get dark.

_**At the riverbank…**_

Gibbs was just a few miles from the cabin when he spotted something shiny just a couple hundred feet from the riverbank. He wondered why he hadn't noticed it yesterday. He walked up the slope and picked it up. He was surprised to see it was Tony's knife. He couldn't believe that he had walked right by it yesterday without seeing it. He looked up and around the area. There was no way the water would have carried the knife up here. Either Tony managed to survive and crawl his way out the river or someone found him. Maybe Abby was right about her dreams all along.

Gibbs looked down at the riverbank and back to where he had located the knife. He decided to follow the same direction in a straight line because it may take him to where DiNozzo was. His gut was telling him to do it. He walked for almost an hour before he stood in front of the entrance to a cave. He took out his flashlight and decided to check it out. He also got his rifle ready just incase.

When he went inside he could tell immediately that someone was living here. There was some light coming from a lantern that someone left. He could also tell at least two people were living here because he could see two sets of bedding. He saw two sets of footprints. One set looked pretty large. Gibbs placed one of his feet into it and it was at least four inches bigger then his. The other set was of normal size. He decided that he better get out of there before someone comes back. He would wait outside want watch to see who enters the cave. Just as he was about to leave he heard something. He turned to see a very large man enter the cave. The man looked angry. Gibbs tried to move out of the way as the man charged him…

_**Deep in the woods…**_

The sunlight was almost gone. Tony could barely see anything. He kept drifting in and out of conscious. He was hungry and cold. He was having trouble falling asleep because every little noise would make him jump. It was a little later he heard a low growl. He froze as he saw a mother bear with her cub about several hundred feet away. If the bear decided to charge him there was no way he could out run her with his limp…


	6. Chapter 6

_Please note: anything italic will be Harry signing._

**Chapter 6**

_**Inside the cave…**_

Gibbs didn't want to shoot the man so he dropped his rifle to the ground. The ex marine prepared himself as the big guy charged toward him. Thanks to Gibbs' military combat training and quick thinking, he was able to use Harry's momentum against him causing the big man to fly through the air and crash into the side of the cave wall. By the time Harry came to his senses, Gibbs had the rifle back in his hands and pointed directly at Harry's head.

"Where the hell is Tony DiNozzo?"

The big guy felt a little relieved when he found out the gray haired man didn't know where his friend was. Maybe Tony was okay and just hiding somewhere? He was not going to give this man any information that could hurt his friend. He was willing to die for his friend if he had to.

Gibbs cocked his rifle and threatened the big guy, "You better tell me where the hell my friend is or I am going to shoot you right here and I warn you I am not afraid to do it."

Harry was more surprised than scared by the threat. Did the gray haired man just say that Tony was his friend? Could this man really be Tony's friend? Had he been wrong all along?

Gibbs continued, "And don't you even think of lying to me, I can tell someone else has been living here with you. There are two beddings. I have also have seen two sets of footprints. One set I know belongs to you and the other set belongs to someone who has the same size shoe as my friend. PLEASE…I need to know if my friend has been living here with you or not. I need to know he is still alive." It was out of character for Gibbs to beg but he didn't know what else to do.

Harry could hear the desperation in the man's voice. He felt so sorry for him. If this man were Tony's friend maybe he would know how to sign like Tony does. Harry decided to give it a try, _"Is it true? Are you Tony's friend?"_

Gibbs lowered his voice, "Yes…yes Tony is my friend. We have been friends for a long time. Please, tell me where he is? I need to see him."

"_I don't know where he is. Tony is missing."_

At that very moment, Gibbs heart sank into his stomach. All this time he thought Tony was dead and now he finds out he is alive but missing. When the hell is this nightmare going to end? He lowered his rifle and looked at the big man, "What do you mean by he is missing? When and where did you last see him?"

"_This morning in the cave, before I went to look for you."_

"Why were you looking for me?"

"_I thought you were here to kill my friend Tony. I remember seeing you at the cabin. You killed those men. I saw you looking at the bodies. I saw you take their guns. Later, I saw you with the revenuer on those machines. Are you a revenuer too?"_

Gibbs now knew why he felt he was being watched because it had been Harry who had been watching him all along. "I am not a revenuer but I am a federal agent. I work for the government and so does Tony. We had to kill those men because they attacked they us. Those bastards were the ones who shot Tony. I thought Tony had died when he fall into the river. Later, I went looking for him. How and where did you find him?"

"_I was hunting. I found him by the river. He was hurt bad. I brought him here to my cave. I took care of him."_

"You saved him." Gibbs lowered his rifle.

Harry smiled and stood up. He was at least a foot taller than Gibbs. The ex marine wondered how this man could have stayed hidden in the woods for such a long time without anyone seeing him. He believed if ranger Mark Adams knew about him he would have mentioned him.

"_I need to tell you something about your friend, Tony is not right in the head."_

"What do you mean he's not right in the head?"

"_Tony has very bad headaches and they have been getting worse. He has trouble remembering things. Sometimes he forgets who I am. Sometimes he gets things mixed up in his head. I found him once outside the cave looking for something called Abby's lab. I am not sure what that it. When I asked him about it he couldn't remember. He talks to people who are not here. He also talks to himself a lot. _

Gibbs almost smiled at the last part because it was not unusual for Tony to talk to himself. The Italian did it all the time. What worried Gibbs was that is sounded like Tony has a very serious head injury that could be life threatening. If it was a blood clod it could be a ticking time bomb. He needed to get Tony to a hospital as soon a possible to have it checked out.

Gibbs looked toward the entrance to the cave. It was now too dark for them to search for DiNozzo. They are going to have to wait until the morning light. It was killing Gibbs to be so close and now he was going to have to wait a little while longer. He only hoped that Tony would be all right until they find him. He remembered the ranger circling the areas on the map where bears had been spotted. He hoped DiNozzo was nowhere near any of them. It was also going to be cold and he was worried about Tony freezing to death. He hoped wherever Tony was he could find somewhere safe to rest for the night.

Gibbs back turned and looked at the big man. "My name is Leroy Jethro Gibbs everyone just calls me Gibbs."

"Tony just calls me Harry."

There wasn't much they could do for now so Harry decided to get a fire going to make him some herbal tea. He had offered some of it to Gibbs but the ex marine wanted coffee instead. Since the big guy didn't catch any fish today, Gibbs shared some of his jerky and cheese and crackers with him. Harry didn't really care for the food but he was too hungry to pass it up. Once they were finished eating, Harry told Gibbs about all of Tony's injures and the time the Italian had spent with him. The ex marine was so relieved that someone like Harry had found his friend and helped him.

Gibbs looked in his backpack to check and make sure he still had his cellphone. He had brought it with him just incase he needed it. To save power he kept it turned off. He had thought about calling the others to let them know Tony was alive but he didn't want to get their hopes up. He decided to wait until he found Tony before he made the call.

That night, Gibbs had managed to get only a few hours of sleep. He woke up as soon as the light hit the cave entrance. Harry was already up, packing a few things for himself just incase they were going to have to sleep outside. He also packed some herbal tea just incase Tony needed it. When he was finished both men headed outside the cave. Gibbs stood there for a few minutes. He was trying to figure out which direction DiNozzo would have taken. Harry just stood there and watched the man with fascination. He was wondering what was going through the man's mind.

Gibbs gut was telling him that Tony had headed toward the group of trees. He pointed, "DiNozzo went this way."

Gibbs picked up his backpack and rifle. He headed toward the trees. Harry followed behind him….

_**Tony in the woods…**_

Tony had remained still as he watched the female bear and her cub move behind some trees. He was just too afraid to do anything else. Once they were out of sight Tony touched his chest to make sure he could still feel movement because he believed he heart had stopped at one point. It was a good thing he was downwind from the mother bear because she never noticed him sitting by the tree.

During the night, Tony had managed to get only a few hours of sleep. He was hungry and thirsty but there was nothing he could do about it at the moment. He was glad at least he was wearing a heavy coat because it prevented him from freezing to death.

When the morning had finally come he decided it was time to get moving. Maybe he could get warmed up if he started walking? He wondered where Harry was. He sure wished the big guy were here right now. He knew Harry would know what to do.

After limping for about a mile he found a small stream. At least, he could quench his thirst. When he was finished drinking the water, he stood up and looked around. He wondered if he should go back the way he came. He didn't seem to be getting anywhere going in this direction. Then he thought about the female bear and her cub, he was afraid he might run into them again. He decided it was safer to continue in the direction he was going. He had to reach civilization eventually and he hoped it would be soon.

_**Gibbs and Harry…**_

It didn't take Gibbs and Harry long to find evidence that Tony had gone in the direction they were headed. Gibbs crouches down so he could get a better look at the human tracks he found. With his marine training he could tell from the tracks that Tony had a bad limp. He hoped it would slow the younger man down enough so they would be able to catch up with him.

They followed Tony's tracks for several mores hours when they came across a stream. They could tell Tony had stopped to get water. While Gibbs was studying the footprints, he felt a tap him on the shoulder. He turned to see Harry standing next to him. The big man signaled him to come with him and to be quiet. From where they were standing Gibbs could see a mother bear with her cub. He hoped to God that the bear didn't find DiNozzo before they did. They had to quicken their pace if they wanted to find Tony before any bears do.

_**Tony…**_

For the last hour his head had started hurting again. He decide to take a few minutes and rest. He sits down and leaned back against a tree. He wished Harry were here. He could sure use the big guy's herbal tea right now. He closed his eyes and hoped the pain would go away. It didn't take him long for him to fall asleep.

As he slept, he didn't notice a large black bear moving slowly toward him. The bear had its nose up in the air sniffing. Tony was now upwind and the bear could smell him from a distant. It kept moving closer and closer to the sleeping man. When it was within ten feet of the unconscious man, it heard a loud bang from a rifle and took off running.

Tony jumped when he heard the bang. He opened his eyes just in time to see the bear running off. He turned see where the shot came from. He smiled when he saw Harry walking toward him. He finally felt safe. He knew the big guy would protect him. Tony smiled tiredly and said, "What…what took you so long?"

Harry could tell something was not right with his friend. He crouched down and smiled as he signed, _"You know how slow I am. How bad is your headache?"_

"Hurts just a little."

Harry smiled, _"I will make you some tea when I get a chance..."_

Tony closed his eyes for a second and then opened them again. "Hey, wait a minute. I…I heard a rifle go off. You don't have one."

Harry smiled, _"Our friend does."_

Tony turned and looked in the direction Harry was looking. He saw a man with a rifle walking toward them. His vision was a little blurry at the moment but the man looked familiar. Tony smiled when he finally recognized who he was, "Boss…did you bring pizza? I am really hungry Boss."

Tony had almost three months growth of facial hair but Gibbs would know that smile from anywhere. He smiled back as sat he down next to the younger man, "How are you doing DiNozzo?

Gibbs reached into his backpack and pulled out some beef jerky and a candy bar.

Tony made a face at the beef jerky but grabbed the candy bar with shaky hands, "I love you Boss." He unwrapped the wrapper and practically swallowed the candy bar in one gulp. When he was finished he looked at Gibbs and was not surprised to see another candy bar and a bottle of water waiting for him. "I…I really love you Boss. You're the…the best." This time Tony ate the candy bar at much slower pace. When he was finished eating the candy bar he drank about half of the water.

Gibbs smiled and took out his cellphone and turned it on. There was no signaled. This was not good because he really needed to get Tony to the hospital as soon as possible. He turned to his friend. "Tony, do you think you can stand up and walk? If you can't we are going to have to make a stretcher and carry you out of here. We need to get you some medical help.

Tony was rubbing his forehead, "I…I can try, but my head and leg hurts a little. Boss…did you know I broke my leg? I ca…can't remember how I did it." Tony looked at Harry. "Do you know how I broke my…my leg?"

Harry could tell Tony was having one of his spells and he was a little confused, _"You fell in the river and broke it."_ The big man looked over at Gibbs. He could see the worry in the man's face.

Gibbs handed Harry his backpack and rifle. He helped the younger man to stand up. He had Tony lean on him as they walked.

"Boss, have you met my friend Harry?"

"Yes DiNozzo, I met your friend Harry."

"Harry is a really…really a big man, Boss. He took care of me when I got hurt."

"I am glad he found you." Gibbs looked up at the big man and smiled at him. Harry could see how grateful the man was. He smiled back.

After a while Tony stopped his rambling and just focused on walking. Gibbs was worried. It was not like Tony to be so quiet. He tried to get the younger man to talk but Tony would only just nod his head.

It was about two hours before the sun was going to set, when Gibbs decided it was time to make camp. He believed that Tony had had enough. He had unrolled his sleeping bag and helped Tony to lie down inside it. He covered him up and then zipped the bag up. While Gibbs was taking care of Tony, Harry handed him a small pouch. It contained ingredients for his herbal tea. He instructed the ex marine how to make it. Harry then decided to go and see if he could find them something to eat. He was hungry and those packages of cheese and crackers were just not doing it for him. A man his size needed a lot more food.

While Tony was resting, Gibbs gathered some wood for the campfire. He stayed within sight of the camp and found it hard to keep his eyes off of the younger man. He still couldn't believe that the young Italian had survived and was living in a cave all these months. Deep down inside he felt guilty for leaving him behind. He should never have assumed anything and went looking for him. Instead it was a total stranger who had DiNozzo's back when it should have been him.

While Harry was gone Gibbs had gotten the fire started and made some of Harry's herbal tea as instructed. He managed to get Tony to drink some of it before the Italian fell back to sleep. About an hour later, Harry came back with two rabbits he had snared. Gibbs helped Harry with cleaning the rabbits and get them cooking on the fire. It was dark by the time they ate. Harry woke up Tony and got him to eat a little of the rabbit before he fall back to sleep.

When Gibbs and Harry were finished eating, they sat around the campfire and talked for a while. Harry told Gibbs a few things about himself but mostly he talked about Tony. He told Gibbs the only person he ever knew who talk as much as Tony did was his granny. She could talk up a storm when she wanted to. Gibbs just laughed because he had two grandparents who were just like that. After awhile both men decided to call it a night. They each would take turns keeping watch to make sure no bear entered the camp. Harry chose to take the first watch.

The sun was just starting to rise when Gibb added some more wood to the fire. He wanted to make himself some coffee. He needed it badly. He heard some movement coming from where Tony was sleeping. He watched as the younger man opened his eyes and started to look around. It was only a few seconds before Tony made eye contact with him.

"Where is Harry?"

"He's still sleeping."

Just as Tony was getting ready to say something, they both heard Harry moving around. Tony and Gibbs watched as the big guy sat up and rubbed his eyes. Harry looked at both men and signed. "Anybody hungry?"

Tony was starving so Harry left to go find them something to eat. While the big guy was gone Gibbs helped Tony out of the sleeping bag so he could take care of nature. It didn't take Harry long to return with breakfast. Once the food was ready, they sat around the campfire and ate. Gibbs watched and listened to the interaction between Tony and Harry. He could tell these two had become good friends. He felt a little jealous. When they were finished, they packed up all their stuff. It was going to take them several more hours to reach the cabin because of Tony slow pace.

They weren't too far from the cabin when Tony tripped and fell. When they got him to stand back up, he was acting confused. He started to apologize to Gibbs because he didn't protect Jenny. Gibbs tried to explain it wasn't his fault but Tony wouldn't listen. A few seconds later, he pushed Gibbs away and asked him who he was. Tony tried to move away but ran right into Harry. He grabbed his head and started screaming just before he passed out. Neither Gibbs nor Harry could get him to wake up. Something was very wrong. Gibbs tried his cellphone but he was still not getting a signal. They needed to get him to the cabin as soon as possible. Harry picked Tony up and carried him the rest of the way.

_**At the Cabin… **_

Thanks to Harry, they arrived at the cabin within a half an hour. Gibbs used the landline to call for help. Harry knew Tony needed medical help so he said his goodbyes and left. He didn't want to be around when the strangers came to take his friend away.

Within twenty minutes, a medical EVAC helicopter was flying Tony to the nearest hospital. Gibbs was able to hitch a ride with them.

Gibbs had been sitting in the emergency waiting room when a doctor came in to see him. Gibbs had been right about Tony having a blood clot. The doctor told him is was a miracle he was still alive. They were going to have to do emergency surgery on him to relieve the pressure. The doctor told him the surgery was going to take at least several hours. He should try and get something to eat. They would have someone come by every so often and give him an update on how the surgery is going.

Gibbs took out his cellphone it was time he called Ducky. The ME could let everyone else know.

_**NCIS….**_

Ducky was getting ready to start an autopsy when he heard Jethro's ringtone go off on his cellphone. He was surprised to be hearing from Jethro so soon. The ME was one of the few who knew the real reason Gibbs had taken weeks off. The older man had been worried about how his friend was going to take it if and when he finds Anthony's body.

"Jethro, I am surprised you call…"'

"Ducky please…"

"Sorry Jethro. Go ahead, you got my attention."

"Ducky, I found him…I found Tony and he is alive…"


	7. Chapter 7

_Just to warn you I am not a medical expert nor do I pretend to be. I got this done sooner then I planned. There is probably going to be one more chapter after this. I hope you enjoy._

_Please note: anything italic will be Harry signing._

**Chapter 7**

_**Ducky breaking the news to everyone…**_

After Gibbs told Ducky that Tony was alive there was a few moments of quietness. He was beginning to wonder if the doctor was still on the phone. "Duck are you still there?"

"Sorry, Jethro but you caught me off guard. This…this is very good news. I just wasn't expecting you to tell me Anthony was alive. From what you told me happened back in December there could be no way he should have survived. How…how is it possible after all these months? Where has he been? Is our dear boy okay?

"Ducky please…I need you to listen to me right now."

"Sorry Jethro, please go on you have my full attention."

"What I am about to tell you I want you to keep to yourself for now. I will explain more to you and the others later. In December, Tony did not die but he was badly injured and still is recuperating from some of those injures."

Ducky was almost afraid to ask, "How bad is he?"

Gibbs was quiet for a few seconds and then he said, "The gun wounds have healed. He has a broken leg that is still mending. It looks like Tony suffered a brain injury when he fell into the river, which caused a blood clot. Ducky all these months he's been walking around with a ticking time bomb in his head. He is in a hospital right now. They are doing brain surgery on him this very moment."

"WHAT? Why wasn't he taken to the hospital immediately?"

"Ducky…There is a man who lives in the woods and he…he found DiNozzo. He took care of him and helped him to survive all these months. I will tell you more about him when I see you but for now please don't tell anyone."

"I won't but what about Abby, McGee, Ziva and Palmer. They are going to be hurt if we don't tell them something. We should also tell Director Vance."

"You can tell them but nobody else. I don't want this getting out to the news and make sure they understand not to say anything. It could cause some problems for someone who doesn't deserve the publicity. As for Vance, tell him what I told you but asked him not to say anything until I talk with him." Gibbs wanted to protect Harry's privacy. He was worried about the big guy and what could happen if people found out he existed.

"What about Tony's father?"

"Go ahead and see if you can contact him and let him know. The same goes for him."

While Gibbs was talking on the phone he noticed a nurse walking toward him. "Ducky I have to go." Before Gibbs hung up he gave the ME the name of the hospital and it's location.

_**NCIS Abby's Lab…**_

Ducky decided to talk with the director first and tell him the news. Vance was surprised by it but he promised Doctor Mallard that he would wait until Gibbs contacted him before he said anything to anyone else. McGee, Ziva and Abby were waiting. Ducky had called them and told them to meet him in Abby's lab. He had something important to tell them. They were all wondering what it could be. They were relieved when they saw the smile on Ducky's face. Palmer was walking closely behind him.

"I have some good and bad news that Jethro wanted me to pass along to you. For now, we must all promise to keep it among ourselves. It appears our dear boy Anthony did not die back in December. He somehow survived with the help of someone."

Abby started jumping, "I knew it. I knew it…I told Gibbs I had these dreams that Tony was alive but he didn't believe me." She grabbed the smiling McGee and almost squeezed him to death.

Palmer just stood there with this goofy grin. He was too happy to do or say anything else.

Ziva had a stunned look on her face, "Ducky, he can't…cant be? I saw him get shot. I saw his face. I saw the pain." She was shaking her head, "No…no, he couldn't have survived. There was no way he could have survived once he fell into that cold river. How…how is it possible?"

Ducky was a little taken a back by Ziva's reaction to the news. He would have thought she would have been happy just like the rest of them. He was confused, "But he did survive, my dear. Ziva…what is wrong?"

Tears started flowing down her cheeks; "If he survived…Oh my God, then that would mean I talked Gibbs into leaving Tony behind. It's my fault, he has been missing all these months." Ziva looked at them for a second and then turned and walked out of the room.

Ducky started to follow her but it was Abby who stopped him. "Ducky, please let me go and talk with her. I will bring her back. Just give us a few minutes."

Abby found Ziva in the women's restroom. She was washing her face. "Abby, I am so…so sorry. I am so sorry for what I did to Tony. He didn't deserve us deserting him after he risked his life to save us."

Abby knew in the past she and Ziva didn't always see eye to eye on many things. They both had different views on life. Abby also knew she would never agree to some of the stuff Ziva had done nor what she believes in but Ziva was now part of her family. She knew more then anyone how much Ziva cared about Tony and the rest of them. "Ziva, why are you sorry? It wasn't your fault that Tony got shot."

"I was the one…I was the one who stopped Gibbs from jumping into the river and going after Tony. Maybe if Gibbs had gone after him Tony would be here safe with us."

"Come on Ziva, we both know there was no way you could have stopped our silver haired fox if he didn't agree with you. You both had a duty to perform and you both did what you had to do. Besides who is to say Gibbs could have drowned trying to save Tony's life. Ziva things happen for a reason."

Abby moved a little closer to Ziva. "We also know how much you care about Tony and if you truly believed Tony could have been saved you would have jumped into the river yourself and nobody including Gibbs could have stopped you."

Abby opened her arms and wrapped them around the smaller woman. "Ziva please listen to me. Don't blame yourself for this." Abby moved a little back so she could get a good look at her friend's face, "Tony is alive. This is really good news. Let's go back and let Ducky finish telling us what he knows."

When the two women arrived back at Abby's lab they could tell the rest of what Ducky had to say was not good news. The conversation that was going on between the three men was solemn. Ducky turned and looked at both women with sadness as they walked into the room…

_**The Cave…**_

Harry sat in the cave drinking his herbal tea. He looked around the cave. It was too quiet. He really missed his little friend. He wondered if he was ever going to see him again. Gibbs had promised they would come back. He hoped Gibbs was a man of his word.

_**Hospital…**_

Gibbs had been sitting in the waiting room for the last three hours when he heard noises outside in the hallway. He was not surprised to see Ducky, Abby, Palmer, McGee and Ziva walk into the room. Abby ran to him and hugged him as tight as she could. Gibbs returned the hug and smiled at the others.

"Jethro, how is our dear boy doing?"

"I had an update about thirty minutes ago. They said there was a couple of times they almost lost him but Tony is still hanging in there. If everything goes okay he should be out of surgery in about another hour or so."

"Jethro, what happened? How did you find him?"

Gibbs looked around the waiting room and saw several people within earshot. "Lets go to the hospital cafeteria. I could use some coffee. Maybe we can find a place to sit and talk in private." Before Gibbs left he told the nurse where he was going to be and also gave her his cellphone number to call him if anything happens or they need to get in touch with him for any reason.

The cafeteria was not that crowded so they were able to find a nice spot away from everyone. Abby and McGee volunteered to go and get everyone something to drink and eat as long as they didn't start the conversation without them. Gibbs and the others just sat there and waited until they came back. Once they returned, Gibbs waited until the food and drinks were passed out and everyone had sat down. He took his first sip of coffee in over an hour.

"What I am going to tell you must not leave this table. There is someone I want and need to protect. You will understand once I tell you about him."

"Gibbs is this about the man who saved and took care of Tony all these months?" asked Abby.

"Yes, his name is Harry or at least it's the nickname that Tony gave him. He's been living in the woods by himself for over thirty years. He is very big man around seven feet tall who cannot speak. Tony taught him how to sign. He lost his grandparents in a fire when he was just kid. He had tried to save them and he was badly burned. He had some very bad scars on his face and hands. After his grandparents died there were no other family members that wanted him. They were going to put him away in some institution. So, he decided to runaway and hid in the only place he ever knew. He made his home in the woods. He has been there undetected all these years. Back in December, he found Tony and carried him to his cave. He has been taking care of Tony ever since. They have formed a special bond."

"He's a hero."

Gibbs looked at McGee, "Yes, he is a hero but nobody can know that. We need to protect him."

"Jethro how do you plan to do that? I know you want to protect this person but people are going to be asking all kinds of questions. One of the questions is going to be how can a very badly injured man have possibly survived on his own in weather like that all these months?"

Gibbs raised his voice, "You don't think I have thought about it?" He stopped himself and lowered his voice before going on any further.

"Harry did everything he could possible do to keep Tony alive. He could have gone on his merry way and left Tony there to die alone. He didn't have to help Tony. Nobody ever cared about him enough to look for him when he ran away as a boy. I don't want what he did for Tony to turn into a nightmare for him."

"Jethro have you thought about it might be a good thing for him to be exposed to people? There are places out there that can take care of someone like him and also protect him."

Gibbs looked at his old friend, "Ducky, Harry is a gentle giant and I don't want to see him hurt. Trust me, when I say he will not do well if people find out about him."

Ducky smiled, "This Harry is special to you. I see Tony is not the only one who has formed a special bond with him. All right, Jethro you convinced me, I am not going to say anything." The rest of the group agreed with the older man.

It was McGee who spoke next, "We need to all put our heads together and think of something to say if anyone asks."

Just then Gibbs phone rang, "I will be right there."

He stood up, "Tony's out of surgery and the doctor wants to speak with me. You can all come if you want to."

Gibbs and his group were escorted to a private conference room for family and friends of patients who have gone through surgery. DiNozzo's doctor went over the surgery with them. He told them that Tony would be in the recovery room for the next two hours. They wanted to monitor him to make sure he is doing okay and then he would be moved to ICU. Once he is in the intensive care unit he would be allowed to have two visitors at a time for about five to ten minutes. He was going to be on a ventilator for the next couple of days and then they would slowly wean him off of it. Since Gibbs was listed as his next of kin he was going to be allowed to stay with him as long as he wants. They wanted someone Tony knew to be there when he wakes up. When the doctor was finished he asked them if they had any questions. Gibbs wanted to know if there would be any chance of damage to the brain. The doctor told him they would be running some more test tomorrow but they would really not know until Tony is fully awake. Ducky wanted to know about the recovery time and when can they take him back to DC.

_**Two hours later in ICU…**_

Because of the circumstances, it was decided that Abby, Ziva, McGee, Palmer and Ducky would go in one at a time to see Tony. It had been almost three months of hell to all of them and they wanted their special time alone with him. Gibbs didn't have a problem with it and told them to go ahead. He would wait until the end since he could see him all he wanted to after that.

Abby slowly walked into the room. She could already hear the machine that was breathing air into his lungs. She couldn't wait to see him. She had begged the others to let her go in first. In a strange way, she liked the others blamed herself for him being in the condition he was in. Maybe if she had talked to Gibbs sooner about her dreams. Maybe Tony would have had the medical help he so needed. She looked at Tony and he looked like he had been in a fight. He had two black eyes and his face was a little swollen. He had a huge bandage wrapped around his head. She walked over and picked up his right hand. She wasn't sure what to say to him so she just started talking. "Tony…I am…so…so glad you're not dead. Wait…that doesn't sound right, does it? I am so glad you…you are alive." Tears started flowing down her cheeks. "Tony, I missed you so much. I miss your goofy smile. I miss your voice. I miss your beautiful green eyes. I miss you picking on McGee and I think he misses it too. Don't…don't' you tell him I said that. He will get so angry with me if he found out that I told you he really misses you. You are so fun to be with. Tony, I miss you so much these past few months."

She grinned as she rubbed her cheek against his hand, "Tony, I am going to let you in on a little secret. Everyone thinks I am Gibbs's favorite. Deep down inside I have always been a little jealous of you because I believe you are really his favorite. You should have seen him when he thought you were dead. It was like something inside him died too. He would never tell you that because he is who he is."

Abby looked at the clock on the wall and knew her time was just about up. She bent down and kissed him on the cheek. "Tony you get better because I miss you so much. I have to go but I will be back soon." She kissed him on the cheek again and left.

Ziva walked into the room. She looked at the machines and then at the man lying in the bed. At first, she was not sure what to do or say. So she kissed the unconscious man on his cheek. "Tony, I am so sorry we left you behind. I hope one day you will forgive me? Gibbs…Gibbs wanted to go after you but I stopped him. I thought you were already dead and we had an assignment to complete." After a few minutes she smiled a little and looked around to make sure nobody was in earshot, "I have missed you so much my hairy butt." Tears started flowing freely down her face. She spent the rest of her time holding his hand. When it was her time to leave she whispered in his ear that she would always love him.

McGee had to wait a few minutes while the nurse took Tony's vitals. When they were finished McGee walked into the room. He wasn't sure what he wanted to say but he knew he needed to say something. After all, this is his best friend. McGee walked over to Tony's bed and put his hands on the rail and looked his friend over. He was still finding it so hard to believe that Tony was alive after all this time.

He remembers that day. He knew everyone was feeling guilty in his or her own way. He himself felt guilty because he was one of the ones that held Gibbs back so he couldn't jump into the river to save his injured agent. He knew what he did was the right thing to do at the time but he still felt a little guilty about it. As he looked at his unconscious friend he was trying to keep his composure. He smiled when he finally thought of something to say. "Tony you did this on purpose didn't you? Now that Gibbs made me his senior field agent…agent you decided to come back and take it away from me." It was meant as a joke but McGee couldn't go on any longer with it. Tear started flowing does his cheeks and he couldn't stop them. "I can't believe I am going to say…say this but…Oh hell Tony, I missed you so much. These…past few months have been…a living hell to me. I am so glad Gibb found you. I…I" McGee couldn't say anything else. He spends the rest of his time crying in relief that his friend was alive. When his time was up he wiped his face and left.

Palmer grinned as he walked over to the bed. He picked up the chart and looked at it. He was pleased at the readings. He looked over at Tony lying in the bed. "Hey Tony it's me the autopsy gremlin. I…I was just checking your chart. The readings are very good. You should be better in no time. Everyone misses you. Breena says to say hi. Everyone misses you. Wait…didn't I just say that? Sorry, I didn't mean to repeat myself. Agent Gibbs and Doctor Mallard have been hard to get a long with since you were missing. Palmer continued to ramble for a while and left.

Ducky wanted to be the last one. He too walked over to the bed and checked the chart out. When he was finished reading it he put it back. He smiled, "My dear Anthony, I have missed you so much. I heard you have a new friend. You must tell me about this Harry when you wake up. He seems like a very interesting person. Gibbs has told us something about him but I would like to hear your version of this Harry. I am really glad Jethro found you. He has been like a mother hen with one of her chicks missing." Ducky knew Tony had a long recovery time ahead of him but he knew Tony would be okay because he had Gibbs, Abby, McGee, Ziva, Palmer and himself willing to be there for the Italian. They were willing to help out in anyway they could. Ducky wondered about Tony's father. He had tried to contact him but he was nowhere to be found. The message he left on his phone said he was going to be away for a while and would not be checking his voice mail…

After everyone left, Tony's doctor told Gibbs that they were going to take him for some test. Tony would not be back in his room for at least an hour. Gibbs decided to get himself something to eat and he also wanted to get another coffee for himself. He was happy and tired at the same time. Gibbs had so badly wanted to be with Tony but he was glad the others got their chance to see him. When he finished eating he headed back to Tony's room. There was a recliner in the room. He decided to recline back in the chair and take a short nap. Whatever energy he had left was finally gone. He was so tired he didn't even wake up when they brought Tony back into his room. The doctor and nurses let him sleep because they knew he needed it.

It was in the middle of the night when he finally woke up. He stood up and rubbed his eyes. He grabbed a chair and sat down next to the bed. He quietly looked at his unconscious friend. Tony looked so peaceful. Gibbs reached over and took the younger man's hand into his. He padded and rubbed Tony's hand as he spoke to him. "Tony, I am so sorry I didn't find you sooner. There has not been a day that has gone by that I didn't think about you. Bubba, I missed you so much…."


	8. Chapter 8

_Just to warn you I am not a medical expert nor do I pretend to be._

_Thanks again for all your reviews. Here is the last chapter._

_**Chapter 8**_

The next time the night nurse made her rounds she found Gibbs sleeping with his head resting on the side of the bed. She decided to let the man sleep. She checked Tony's vitals and left.

When Gibbs finally woke up he realized that he needed to freshen up. It had been a few days since he had taken a shower and changed clothes. He could just imagine how bad he must smell. Tony's ICU room didn't have a shower but the hospital was equipped with bathrooms for family members who were staying overnight. Before Ducky had left Washington D.C., he had stopped by Gibbs' house and packed a few things for his friend. Gibbs picked up his bag and headed toward the showers. After the shower and shave he felt so much better. When he came back into the room, the nurse told him that they were getting ready to give Tony a sponge bath and change his bedding. Gibbs decided now would be a good time for him to head off to the cafeteria and get himself some coffee and something to eat.

He was supposed to meet the others later for breakfast but he was hungry and needed a coffee bad. After Gibbs had finished eating, he called Vance and to give him an update on Tony's condition. At the moment, there was very little he could tell him until DiNozzo wakes up. When he was finished with the update, the senior agent explained the situation with Harry and how he wanted to protect the gentle giant. It was Vance who came up with the cover-up story that they were going to tell everyone. Most of the story would be the truth. The only difference is when everyone thought Tony had been killed he was taken hostage instead and the injured agent finally managed to escape. If anyone pushes it, just tell him or her it is classified and don't say anything else about it. When Vance and Gibbs were finished talking, Vance told him that he would take care of all the paperwork. He also told the senior agent that when DiNozzo wakes up to tell him to hurry up and get well and get his ass back to work. Gibbs just smiled.

Gibbs took the last sip of his coffee as Ducky, Abby, McGee, Ziva and Palmer walked into the cafeteria. Since Gibbs had already eaten he got himself another cup of coffee. He waited until they got their food and sat down. He told them about his conversation with Vance, and what they were going to tell everyone.

"What about Anthony? What is he going to say when he wakes up? He could let the cat out of the bag."

"Don't worry, I will be there when he wakes up and make sure he doesn't say anything he shouldn't."

As they were headed toward the ICU, Gibbs stopped McGee and Palmer and asked them if they would go and pick up his truck at the ranger station. It was just a little over forty miles from where they were. He told them there was something he needed to do today and he was going to need the truck when he does it. McGee and Palmer said they would take care of it and left.

While Abby and Ziva headed toward the waiting room, Gibbs and Ducky went to visit Tony. When they arrived in the room, they found Tony's doctor waiting for them. He wanted to talk to Gibbs in private. Gibbs had the girls stay with Tony while he and Ducky talk with the doctor. The doctor took them to one of the empty conference rooms. He went over Tony's latest test results with them and everything looked really good. From what he and his associates could tell there was no signs of any brain damage. He did want Tony to rest at least one more day before they eased up on the medication so he could wake up. Once Tony was awake they will wean him off the ventilator and then move him into a private room.

Before the doctor was finished, he did have several questions he felt he needed to ask. He knew these men were feds and he would probably not get a straight answer from them but he was going to give it a try. He had talked with the emergency room doctor who had taken care of the wounded agent. The doctor had told him about them having to cut off all of Agent DiNozzo's clothes. The clothes looked and smelled like he had been wearing them for a long time. Once the clothes were removed the doctor examined all the wounds on his patient's body. He had found some old very old wounds and some that were at least a couple of months old. He wanted to know how anyone could have survived with those injuries without any medical help. The other thing was Agent DiNozzo was wearing a makeshift cast. The emergency doctor had it removed and replaced it with a light brace. When the doctor asked these questions, Gibbs told him it was classified and he was not allowed to talk about it. It didn't really surprise the doctor.

When they were finished, Gibbs and Ducky headed back to Tony's room. They overheard Abby telling the unconscious man that if he was looking for his Mighty Mouse stapler Ducky had it.

"Abigail…please don't get me into trouble with our dear Anthony. I was planning to return it to him once he is better. Let's just say I was keeping it safe for him." A few seconds later, they all just burst out laughing. A nurse came running into the room and banished Abby, Ziva and Ducky to the waiting room. Gibbs smiled; it had been a long time since he heard the laughter and the light banter among his friends. He walked over to the bed and shook his head because only DiNozzo could cause that.

It was about an hour and a half later when McGee and Palmer returned with Gibbs' truck. McGee went to Tony's room and handed Gibbs his keys. Gibbs looked at his watch. It was still early enough in the day for him to take care of something he felt he had to do. He wanted to go see Harry and see how he was doing. Gibbs got up and went to the waiting room. He asked Ducky and the other to keep an eye on Tony while he was gone. He should be back at the hospital later in the evening.

_**The Woods…**_

It took him a little longer to get to his destination because he had stopped at a store and bought a few things. When he finally got there, he parked his truck and hiked the rest of the way. He found the cave empty but he could tell the big guy had been there not to long ago. The fire was still warm. Gibbs decided to head for the river. He figured Harry would be there or at least he hoped he would be there.

Gibbs found the hermit sitting on a rock enjoying the sun. He yelled to him and Harry turned around. The big guy smiled as he walked toward him. Harry was so happy to see him that he lifted the ex marine about six inches off the ground when he hugged him. For a second the ex marine thought he was going to be squeezed to death. Gibbs had to order the big guy to put him down. Gibbs then muttered to himself something about Harry being worst than Abby when it came to hugging. Once Gibbs' breathing was back to normal he asked Harry if they could go back to the cave. He wanted to talk with him about Tony.

Once they reached the cave, Gibbs handed Harry two bags of groceries he had purchased at the store. The big guy looked inside them and smiled. Gibbs had bought him some essentials he thought the big guy might need but what had Harry smiling is when he saw a bag of candy bars. Gibbs had also bought some fresh ground coffee for himself. Harry got the fire going for Gibbs' coffee and his herbal tea.

The two men sat by the campfire and talked. The first thing Harry wanted to know was how Tony was doing and when is he coming back to see him. Gibbs told him that Tony had to have surgery but he is going to be fine. He also told him that it was going to be a while before Tony can come to visit him. He could tell the big guy looked a little disappointed. They spent the next few hours talking just about anything. Gibbs got Harry to talk a little more about himself. When it was time for him to leave he told the big guy he would be back to visit and he may bring a couple of friends to see him, if he was up to it. Gibbs then headed back to the hospital

_**The hospital…**_

Early the next morning they started to lower the dosage on Tony's medication. Gibbs was told Tony should start waking up shortly. He wondered if his young friend was going to remember any of them when he wakes up. Gibbs knew from experience that memories could get messed up pretty bad when it comes to brain injuries. Time seemed to pass slowly for the ex marine. He closed his eyes and it wasn't long before he fell asleep. He opened his eyes when he heard movement coming from the bed. Gibbs moved closer to the bed and pressed the button.

"How may I help you Agent Gibbs?"

"Tony is starting to wake up."

"I will get the doctor. He should be in there shortly."

Gibbs watched as Tony opened his eyes. He could see the fear in the younger man's face. "Tony, listen to me. You are safe in a hospital. You just had surgery and you are in ICU." He watched as Tony looked around the room. The green eyes looked back at him. Tony would have tried to pull the ventilator out if his wrists were not tied to the bed. It was something the staff had to do to prevent patients from trying to take the tube out once they wake up.

"Tony look at me, the doctor will be here shortly to take the tube out. You just need to relax. Trust me I know how you feel."

It was another five minutes or so before the doctor and the nurses entered the room. They checked his vitals and everything seemed to be fine. The doctor asked Tony if he wanted the tube out and Tony nodded. He had Tony cough as he took it out. The doctor immediately started asking Tony questions. He knew it was going to be painful for him to talk but he needed to check Tony's memory. He asked him what was his name. Where was he born and what year was it? Tony was able to answer most of the questions. He did have a little trouble remembering exactly what month and year it was. When the doctor asked him who Gibbs was, Tony grinned tiredly and whispered he was his boss. The doctor could tell his patient was getting ready to fall asleep. "Okay Tony, I have one more question for you and then we will let you sleep. Tell me your bosses full name."

Tony thought about it and then whispered, "Leroy…Jethro…Gibbs."

Gibbs was standing in the corner of the room and for the first time in his life he was never so proud to hear someone say his full name. Once the doctor was pleased with Tony's answers he told his patient that he would be back later to check on him and to get some rest. The nurses raised Tony's bed just a little so he would be a little more comfortable. They told him they would be moving him to a private room in about an hour. Tony fell asleep shortly after that.

The next time Tony woke he was in a room filled with people, balloons, flowers and cards. It was Abby who first noticed him awake. She started to squeal with excitement but she quickly put her hands over her mouth to stop herself. "Sorry, I didn't mean to yell. The nurse told us we all could visit you as long as we keep the noise level down." She sat down on the edge of the bed. "So Tony, how do you feel? Do you like our surprise? McGee, Palmer and I got the balloons. Gibbs, Ziva and Ducky got the flowers. Oh when you get time, you really need to read McGee's card because it is so funny. We really missed you? Are you sure you are okay? Do you need anything? I can…"

"Abigail, let the poor boy get a word in edgewise."

Ducky looked at Tony and smiled, "How are you feeling my dear boy?"

He whispered, "Okay, I guess."

McGee walked over to the bed and stood next to Ducky, "Tony it is so good to see you."

"Hey Probie, how…how have you been doing?"

"I am doing fine Tony." McGee wanted to say more but at that moment he couldn't think of anything. He was just too happy to see his friend alive.

Tony looked around the room. He saw Ziva and Palmer. Ziva was standing by the window smiling at him. Palmer was standing behind Ducky. The autopsy gremlin just waved when Tony looked at him.

Tony looked for Gibbs but he wasn't in the room. He turned back and looked at Abby. "Where is Gibbs?"

"You know him, he went to get coffee. He said he would be back shortly. So, Tony how do you really feel right now?"

"My head and leg hurts a little but it's not too bad." Tony started to yawn.

Gibbs walked into the room and saw the yawn. "Okay everyone it is time to leave. He needs to rest and he can't do that with everyone here."

"Oh come on Gibbs, Tony just woke up. We didn't really get a chance to talk with him."

"Abby, now you remember what the doctor said. Now go…if you want to be able to visit him later this afternoon and tomorrow before you leave." The Goth knew he was right. Abby kissed Tony on the forehead as everyone else said their goodbyes and left the room. Abby waved goodbye to them and left.

Gibbs walked over and sat in the chair by the bed. "You tired?"

Tony nodded his head.

"Why don't you rest for a while?"

Tony yawned as he looked at the older man, "Boosseuuhh, what hap…happened to me?"

"Tony, your tired. Get some sleep and we can talk about it when you wake up."

It was over an hour later when the doctor came back to check on Tony. He woke him up to ask the same questions he did before. The doctor seemed pleased with his answers and left shortly after that.

Gibbs was sitting next to the bed. He could see the confused look on Tony's face. "Alright, DiNozzo what is it?"

"Boss, I can't remember…how I got here or why I am here."

"You had a head injury. You needed surgery"

"But…how did I hurt my head?"

"You fell into a river and hit your head?"

"Did…did you pull me out?"

"No, someone else did."

"Who did?"

Gibbs had been dreading this but he knew Tony needed answers, "Tony…what was the last thing you remember before waking up here?"

"I…I remember snow, lots and lots of snow and it was so…cold. I remember we were walking. There was some gunfire. I think I fell into a river…"

"Do you remember anything after that?"

"I remember making it…to…land." Tony looked at Gibbs. "Boss…I…I am sorry. I just can't…can't remember anything after that."

"Tony it's okay. Your memory will come back with time. After you fell into the river someone did find you and took care of you. His name is Harry."

"Boss, I don't remember him. You…you said he had been taking care of me. Why would he be…taking care of me? Why didn't he just call for an ambulance?

"Harry is a hermit who lives in a cave in the woods. When he found you he thought you were in trouble and wanted to protect you. So, he hid you in a cave and took care of you."

"For how long?"

"Almost three months?"

"Three months? Where were you during this time?"

This was the one question Gibbs dreaded the most. "Tony after you were shot and fell into the river, we…I thought you were dead. The weather was bad and we had to get those two men to safety."

Tony looked at Gibbs for a few seconds, "So, you left…me…behind."

Just as Gibbs was getting ready to say something, Abby come running into the room. "Tony…Tony, you're awake?" She ran over and hugged him."

"Where…where are the others?"

"They are still eating. They will be here in just a little while. I ate a little faster because I couldn't wait to see you. I wanted to spend as much time with you as I could. Did Gibbs tell you we are going to have to go home tomorrow?"

"I…I heard Gibbs mention something about it the last time you were here."

"We are going to be leaving around noon tomorrow. This way, we can stop by here and see you one more time before we go home. Tony, you need to get better so you can come home."

Tony smiled a little because he could always count on Abby to make him feel better. Especially after hearing that Gibbs left him behind.

It was about fifteen minutes later when Ducky, McGee, Ziva and Palmer showed up. They had a surprise for Tony, everyone had chipped in and bought Tony a laptop so he could use it while he was in the hospital. He could email them whenever he wanted. McGee had already set the computer up for Tony so he could start using it the moment he turned it on. They spent the rest of the afternoon watching TV and talking about old times. Gibbs kept his distance. It bothered him that Tony now knew he had left him behind.

Ducky could tell something was bothering his friend. When Gibbs went to get himself a cup of coffee the Scotsman followed him. They both sat down in the cafeteria. "Jethro what is wrong?"

"He knows…Ducky. Tony knows now I left him behind."

"Did he remember it?"

"No, I told him."

"What did he say when you told him?"

"He didn't get a chance to say anything because Abby walked in while we were talking. I could see the hurt in his eyes."

"Jethro, just talk with Anthony, he will understand."

"How could DiNozzo understand now? Ever since the day he came to NCIS he has had my back because he always believed I would have his. I have even heard him tell the others if they were in a bad situation, to not worry because Gibbs would come for them. How can he ever trust me again after this? I failed him Ducky."

"Jethro…"

"No, there is nothing you can say or do that will make me feel any different. I know I failed him. I can only hope someday he will forgive me."

Ducky knew there was no way to get through to Jethro when he was in one of his moods so he decided to change the subject. "What is going to happen to Anthony once he get out of the hospital. He doesn't have a home to go to anymore. I have tried to contact his father but he still hasn't called me back."

"Tony won't need to worry about a place to stay because he can always stay with me. If not, I will help him to find a place. He's got a hell of a lot of back pay coming to him. Vance is already working on it."

Visiting hours weren't over for another two hours, so Ducky and Gibbs spent at least half of time talking about what they could do to help him get back into a normal life. When they were finished they headed back to Tony's room.

It was late in the evening when everyone started to leave to go back to the motel. The room was now quiet except for the TV playing. Tony and Gibbs were the only ones left in the room. They both stared at each other for a few moments. Gibbs decided to speak first, "Tony, I am so sorry."

Tony smiled, he figured he would let Gibbs off the hook, "Boss don't worry about it. We were on a mission to protect those men. It was our job."

"You remember?"

"Yes…well sort of…While you went to get some coffee, I got a chance to talk with McGee, Ziva and Abby. McGee and Ziva told me what happened after I got shot and fell into the river. McGee said it took him and the two other men to keep you from jumping in after me. Ziva mentioned something about convincing you that it was too late to save me and that we had a mission to complete. She was pretty upset about it. I told her not to worry that I understood. Abby told me that you had even gone back twice to look for me. The first time the weather turned bad and you turned around and leave. The second time you did find me. Boss, you really didn't leave me behind because you did eventually find me. It just took almost three months that's all."

Gibbs just stared at the younger man.

"Boss, I do remember Harry now. McGee said you went to see him this morning? How is he doing?"

"He misses you."

Tony had the biggest smile when he said, "You know Boss, I always had that kind of effect on people. Once people meet me they really don't want me to leave. What can I say it's my charm?"

Gibbs grinned and shook his head, "DiNozzo, if you didn't have that bandage on your head I would smack you so loud even Harry would hear it."

Tony and Gibbs both laughed.

Tony stayed in the hospital for another week. Before he left, the doctor gave him a list of doctors he could see in DC. He also gave him several prescriptions he was going to have to get filled. The doctor told him that it would probably be another four weeks before he can go back to work.

It was decided that until Tony could find a place to live he would stay with Gibbs. He didn't need to worry about any paperwork saying he was alive because Vance took care of it for him.

A few weeks after he was released from the hospital, Tony, Gibbs, Ducky and Abby went to visit Harry. Both the Goth and Scotsman hit if off with the big guy. Abby had brought him a framed picture of all of them with Tony in the center. They also brought plenty of food and spent the whole day with him. Harry for once in his life didn't feel alone anymore. He finally felt like he had a family. He would never forget these people and he knew they would never forget him.


End file.
